


The Herald of Andraste

by xxMad_Donaxx



Series: Inquisitor Anders [1]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha/Beta, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Beta Anders always coming in second to alphas and omegas, M/M, Past Traumatic Experiences, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:33:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23840131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxMad_Donaxx/pseuds/xxMad_Donaxx
Summary: Anders secretly attends the Conclave and is the only person to walk away.
Relationships: Anders/Cullen Rutherford
Series: Inquisitor Anders [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1717843
Comments: 11
Kudos: 16





	The Herald of Andraste

**Author's Note:**

> Everything you need to know about this world state. The Hero of Ferelden is Neria Saurana who fell madly in love with Zevran. The Champion is Carver Hawke but his elder brother is still alive and well and at Carver's side. He took a proactive approach to Meredith and the Gallows so Anders _did not_ destroy the Chantry. The end result of The Knight Commander going crazy from the red lyrium sword and the final fight in the Gallows courtyard resulted from Carver convincing most of the mages to escape through the tunnels underneath where Isabela took them away on her ship.
> 
> If you wish to read Carver's story in this world read my fic Kellion Hawke. If Hawkecest isn't your thing however then I recommend not. All you really need to know I've already told you though so if you don't that's perfectly fine. I hope you enjoy this. =)

Cassandra Pentaghast was looking at him like he’d lost his mind. Even Leliana looked like she might be questioning his sanity. Anders couldn’t help but laugh. As if surviving the blight and living through the insanity in Kirkwall wasn’t enough, to be the only person left alive after the explosion at the Conclave was a fine joke. With his hands still tied he wiped the tears of mirth from his eyes and took a deep breath.

“I had nothing to do with this,” he said after another calming breath. “I don’t remember what happened up there.”

Thankfully neither of the women seemed to know who he really was. He’d let his beard grow out and his hair was much longer than it had been in Kirkwall. The months in between fleeing Kirkwall after Carver Hawke had emptied the Gallows and sneaking into the Conclave was filled with a lot of running. The Chantry had its hands full dealing with the loss of their Templars to care too much about catching Carver’s companion apostates. The Templars were much more of an issue and were basically killing any mage they came across. There were also quite a few mages he’d come across that weren’t exactly happy with him for helping to make them all apostates. Hunted or chased away, there had been little for him to do to help this conflict he’d helped start.

They had their heads together and Anders waited patiently for them to decide what they were going to do with him. The conclave had been too important to miss. He desperately wanted to know what the leaders were doing, how they planned on moving forward. It wasn’t surprising that neither the Templars nor the mages had actually sent their leaders to talk with the Divine. Neither side trusted the other. Anders couldn’t trust either side since both seemed to want him dead, and here he was, the only one left

The mark on his hand flashed and Anders grunted from the pain. He was only half listening to Cassandra tell him it was killing him. Most of his mind was focused on how to keep these women from finding out who he really was if he lived through the next few hours. The beard was staying and his hair he’d let get below his shoulders before he started trimming it. A new name would be extremely important when someone bothered to ask.

He nodded when he was all but ordered to close something they called the breach. When he was taken outside all he could do was stare at the swirling green web that sat high over the Frostbacks. One of the ladies tugged on his tied hands and he shuffled forward only half listening to her once more. The explosion had caused that and Anders shuddered. He could almost feel the Fade coming from it and he couldn’t help but wonder if any other mage could.

His attention was brought back to the ground by a fussy little Chantry Brother demanding he be taken to Val Royeaux. Anders snorted, interrupting both Cassandra and Leliana. “I’ll take my chances with that thanks.” He gestured at the sky towards the largest tear in the veil he’d ever had the misfortune to see.

“That is not your decision,” he said angrily.

Anders did his best not to glare at the man. “You lose nothing by letting me try to close it.”

The man spluttered but he was no longer paying attention. The breach glowed an unnatural bright green and the mark on his hand flashed the same color. He hissed in pain and hunched over. After that wore off it was a race to the top of the mountain where the temple had been. Cassandra protested when he appropriated a staff but grudgingly accepted that she had little say in the matter of him being dangerous with or without it.

The demons kept them too busy for pleasantries which was a good thing because he hadn’t had time to come up with a name to use. With a sinking feeling Anders realized the issue might be moot as they came upon two people and a large group of demons. The extremely familiar sound of a very unique crossbow drew him to the person wielding it. Like the past months had never happened Anders slid in beside Varric and they fell into step born of nearly a decade of fighting at each other’s side.

The elven mage yanked on his hand when the demons were defeated and he watched as the mark on his hand closed the rift in front of them. He took his hand back and rubbed it as Cassandra introduced him to Solas, an expert on the Fade. It was here that Cassandra realized she hadn’t actually asked him for a name but instead of answering he looked to Varric. The dwarf grinned and shrugged.

“Anders,” he said resigned after a moment of thought.

Varric would keep the secret if he lied but there wasn’t much point to it. He’d been wanted before the explosion at the conclave and now the mark he had might be the only way to fix the Breach. Cassandra’s eyes narrowed but there was no reaction from Solas. Varric chuckled and sliced through the tension with his wit. The seeker led them on. In between fights he and Varric caught up. Varric had been the last to part company with the Hawke brothers. Anders was positive the dwarf knew where they were but wouldn’t say in current company. Cassandra most likely since she’d basically kidnapped him from Kirkwall. He didn’t exactly want to know where they were either, only that they were all right. Considering how the conclave had turned out he was very glad Varric hadn’t told her.

The race to the Temple was interrupted once more by battle. This time there was another familiar face. He wasn’t ecstatic to see this person however. In the tower he’d tormented the young Templar with raunchy flirting just to see him blush. In Kirkwall he’d avoided the Captain like he was blighted. They’d both had a drastic change of attitude and Cullen was more likely to throw him in the dungeons of the Gallows rather than turn tomato red before running away from him.

Unsure what he was doing here, Anders flung a healing spell at the young soldier he was helping and backed away, trying not to look like he was hiding behind Cassandra. There was recognition in Cullen’s eyes but the need to get to the Temple was more pressing than satisfying the curiosity that was there. In the face of more demons and the voice of the Divine it was easy to push Cullen from the front of his mind. The pride demon that was drawn through the large rift commanded all of his attention and with that defeated, the rift closed temporarily, Anders blacked out again.

After the elf girl ran away from him Anders huffed a sigh and flopped back onto the bed. Waking up in a different spot to where he’d gone to sleep at was becoming something of a habit and he wasn’t sure he liked it. The mark on his hand was quiet, thank the Maker, but there was something disturbing going on in his head. A few quiet moments of listening revealed a truth he wasn’t sure what to make of.

Of course he knew about the calling and what happened to Wardens that didn’t die throwing themselves at Darkspawn. What he didn’t know was how a Warden knew it was time to get lost in the Deep Roads. He was afraid the whispers at the edge of his conscious answered that question. Focusing on them didn’t make them clearer or louder. If he didn’t have to immediately run away Anders decided to ask Leliana some questions about it. She knew the Hero as well and might know something he didn’t.

There was another odd thing he didn’t know what to make of. For a decade he had shared his body with Justice. He couldn’t sense the spirit at all after he’d woke in the jail cell. Since he couldn’t remember what had happened at the top of the mountain aside from a bit of the Fade, the woman and running from the spiders, he had no clue what might have happened to him. It was a problem that would have to be pondered later however.

He made his way through Haven to the Chantry where the leaders of this group had made their home. There he met Josephine and was formally introduced to Cullen, who had apparently left the Templar order. The Inquisition was created and he had his first assignment, securing horses from a man in the Hinterlands. There was also a woman to find, a Chantry Mother who wanted to talk with him for some reason. Anders wasn’t exactly thrilled to have the fate of everything thrown at him but the rifts and the demons that came through needed to be taken care of. Hopefully he could help his fellow mages somehow in the process.

***

After a few weeks spent in the Hinterlands building up the Inquisition’s reputation, battling demons, closing rifts and killing the idiot rebel mages and Templars who couldn’t be bothered to worry about the big green hole in the sky Haven seemed like paradise. Before he could take a bath and change his clothes however he needed to speak with Commander Cullen to make sure men had been sent to build the watch towers. Varric, Solas and Cassandra all headed into Haven and he continued on to a training area where Cullen could mostly be found.

The big alpha stood with his hands crossed over his chest. Anders stood back and watched for a few minutes while he gathered enough of his wits to be civil to the former Templar. He barked out things at the recruits, moving in to show them something every once in a while. In a lull of activity Anders approached him. The Commander turned to him almost immediately. When Anders stopped within an arm’s length Cullen leaned forward slightly and his nostrils flared.

Instantly Anders was annoyed. He knew that on some level Cullen was unaware that he was scenting Anders. Alphas tended to greet people nose first and any who had been around omegas in heat for any length of time the habit was almost a need. As a beta Anders had no idea what the alphas were scenting. In the Tower he’d been a popular surrogate for both alphas and omegas when the omegas were in heat. He’d also been somewhat involved with Carver Hawke and had helped his brother through a couple of heats.

Even though he’d known Carver’s heart would never be his he’d still grown attached to the Champion of Kirkwall. Their parting had been amiable and he still considered both brothers to be good friends despite the elder Hawke’s distrust of him. Anders had no wish to subject himself to that sort of complicated relationship again. Cullen had always been far more interested in Neria Surana than him and that was before the blight and the mess in Kirkwall. Anders was simply tired of being a place holder for someone else.

“Yes I smell like a sweaty horse standing in a campfire,” Anders said with as much disdain as he could muster. “I haven’t had a chance to find my quarters.” Cullen’s cheeks turned pink and Anders smirked as he clasped his hands behind his back. “Have you sent men to build the watchtowers Master Dennet requested?”

“I have Herald,” Cullen said stiffly.

“Thank you Commander.”

Anders turned and strode away, his mind completely occupied with getting clean.

*

Cullen watched the Herald of Andraste hurry away, unsure how to feel about being rebuked for something he was hardly aware that he did. He remembered Anders from the Tower as being a horrible flirt and a troublemaker. After the Qunari incident in Kirkwall when he kept the Champion alive after his duel with the Arishok, Anders seemed more angry than anything else. This man was different yet again. He could see threads of both of his previous personalities but this unreasonable irritation at being scented confounded him, especially when nearly every alpha around him did it.

It was rare to remember a single person’s scent unless you imprinted on them. Cullen remembered because Anders was half of a pair of apprentices that tormented him in the Tower. Anders’ scent now was peculiar in ways that it hadn’t been before however. The earthy smell that had always been there was still there but with a sour note. Since the Hero of Ferelden had a similar sour note to her scent he figured that was something being a Grey Warden added. There was also something sharp, like the air after lightening spells dissipated.

Shaking his head he put both the Herald and his scent out of his immediate thoughts and turned back to his recruits. Hours later he found himself in the Chantry dozing upright on one of the pews towards the front. His quarters weren’t outside the walls like most of the troops were but there were days it seemed like it was right next to the designated heat tent, which was a short distance from the wall his quarters butted against. The strong scent of omegas had disturbed him since his captivity in Kinloch Hold during the Blight and if he didn’t have to endure the smells he didn’t.

A soft scraping roused him and he turned, fully awake with a hand on his blade. Cullen recognized Anders in the dim torchlight as he quietly shut the heavy doors. He cleared his throat and stood, his hands clasped behind his back.

“Commander?” Anders asked, more curious than alarmed. “What are you doing here?”

“Avoiding my quarters,” he replied softly. “What are you doing out so late?”

“Praying?” said Anders as he slowly strolled up the aisle.

Cullen consciously resisted leaning forward to scent him as he stopped an arms-length from him. “I didn’t think you were so pious.”

“I’m not.” Anders’ genuine smile lasted seconds. He sighed and lowered himself to the bench. “Most of the time I don’t sleep well. But since…” Anders looked at his right hand and shook his head.

“Nightmares?” Cullen asked as neutrally as he could manage as he sat back down.

“Yes but not the sort you’re thinking of,” he replied with a cool smirk. “Nightmares are part of the whole Grey Warden experience. Some learn to tune them out and others never do. I’m only mediocre at it. Lately though…I keep reliving those moments I remember before I fell out of the Fade.”

There were a few moments of silence then Anders turned in the seat to face him, arm bent and his elbow resting on the back. “So why are you avoiding your quarters?” he asked briskly. “Do you have a few extra unwanted guests? The room drafty and you don’t have enough blankets?”

“Uh… no,” Cullen said as he leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “The uh... tent for omegas is… rather full at the moment.”

“You should have that inside the walls,” Anders said with a small frown. “But what does that have to do with you not enjoying your very own bed inside your very own room?”

“My quarters are on the other side of the wall. The… smells… drift.” Cullen couldn’t hold in a shudder.

“I see,” Anders said carefully.

Rather than wait for questions he’d rather not answer Cullen stood and bowed slightly to Anders. “I’ll leave you to your contemplations. Herald.”

Cullen walked as quickly as he dared out the door. He turned to the tavern, unhappy at the noise he would be dealing with. That was preferable to questions however and much preferable to the stench he couldn’t stand in his quarters.

*

Anders recognized a man running away from something when he saw one. He doubted the Commander was running from him. Mages didn’t likely frighten the former Templar so much as put him on his guard. No, he was getting away from all the questions now forming in Anders’ head. Whatever caused that little shiver and chased him out of his quarters was apparently a sensitive issue. While Anders was definitely curious he understood being disinclined to talk about things. There were several topics he shied away from.

With a sigh Anders leaned back on the bench. There was another trip to the Hinterlands to plan and rumors of Grey Wardens on the Storm Coast. He wanted to run up there right away and find them but some of their men had disappeared in a marsh to the south. As much as he wanted to find a Grey Warden and figure out what the whispers were rescuing people from the marsh was more important. Anders was still sort of amazed these people were looking to him for direction instead of throwing him in the dungeon in the basement of the Chantry.

His eyes slowly shut and his breathing deepened. Instead of the woman who had shoved him out of a rift or the glimpse of armor over his shoulder before he’d passed out his mind locked onto Cullen. Anders was positive the strong scent omegas put out when in heat disturbed the alpha and not because of unwanted erections. Thinking of reasons why an omegas scent would bother an alpha was much more relaxing than listening to the beautiful but haunting whispers only he could hear.

**Author's Note:**

> I've found I enjoy the format of a bunch of shorts that tell a longer story. It's much less stressful to have a series WIP than a long fic WIP for me. There's a few of my series' that use this and this will be another.


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